O’Connor out to make impact

Fly-half Niall O’Connor is not giving up hope that he is still an integral part of Ulster coach Mark Anscombe’s overall plans.

The former Ireland ‘A’ squad member was pivotal in ushering Ulster over the line in last week’s near miss against Zebre when his 17 points with the boot and expert game management saw the RaboDirect Pro 12 table-toppers squeeze home 27-25.

O’Connor, whose home sickness brought him back to Ulster from Connacht this season, will get another chance to prove his worth when he lines up against Treviso tonight as Anscombe’s men attempt to make it nine wins out of nine and keep their six-point advantage at the top.